Scientists around the United States are keeping track of the emotional and physical effects of negative political ads. Iacoboni tracked parts of the middle brain that lit up in brain scans when people watched their favorite candidates get attacked. Other scientists hooked up wires to measure frowns and smiles before the meaning of the ads' words sunk in. Mostly, researchers found that negative ads tend make it less likely that supporters of an attacked candidate will vote.

And politicians know it because the latest figures show that political parties are spending more money on negative ads than positive ones.

Negative ads make supporters of the attacker more likely to vote and make the followers of the victimized candidate feel depressed and less likely to vote, said Stanford University communications professor Shanto Iyengar.

But the attack ads do not do much to independents, said Iyengar, who has finished a study on people's reactions to positive and negative ads in seven close US Senate races which were decided last Tuesday. His online study measured "the basic gut feeling, the emotional reaction," of Democrats, Republicans and independents who watched the ads. (AP)

Today's Words 今天單字

1. ominous adj.

不祥的 (bu4 xiang2 de5)

例: Sometimes dark clouds can be seen like an ominous sign.

(烏雲有時候看起來就像不祥的徵兆。)

2. instantly adv.

立即 (li4 ji2)

例: When Casey is tired, a strong cup of coffee wakes her up instantly.

(卡絲疲倦時，一杯香濃的咖啡就能讓她立刻清醒。)

3. victimized adj.

受害的 (shou4 hai4 de5)

例: Coming home to find that someone has wrecked your house and stolen all your things will make you feel victimized.

(回到家時發現有人破壞房屋子並偷走所有東西，會讓自己感覺受害。)

4. depressed adj.

沮喪的 (qing zhu4)，失意的 (shi1 yi4 de5)

例: I was looking forward to this party until my boyfriend dumped me; now I'm too depressed to go anywhere.